The Burden of a Hero
by UntamedSpirit
Summary: After finally defeating Ganon,Link thinks things will get better,but he is terribly mistaken.Somehow,in his anger,the triforce gets destroyed. So why is the imprint of the triforce of courage still lingering on the back of his hand? RR!
1. Home is Nowhere

A/N: Okay, I had this story posted before, but I hated everything after the first chapter. So, I made a few slight changes, and now I'm going to take the story in a new direction, chapter 2 should be up in a few hours...I hope you like it! If you start reading please read through till the end of the chapter. R/R!

Disclaimer: Well, no...I don't own The Legend of Zelda or any of it's contents - But if you don't mind, I would like to live in denial. Ahahahaha...

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His shoulder was pressed hard against a lone chestnut tree. His calf was split deep, and the loss of blood was slowly, and not to mention painfully, diminishing his strength. But the wounds of battle were nothing compared to the wave of anguish that he felt when he laid his eyes upon this particular clearing. It wasn't supposed to be a clearing. Ashes layered the grass, there were burnt tree stumps and fallen branches everywhere, and the dried up river that was now a muddy ditch. 

Link didn't understand. Where was the forest? What happened to the Kokiri people? He almost dropped to his knees from exhaustion. He felt like he couldn't take another step, but he took it anyway. That was the breaking point. He collapsed, knowing that he'd have to rest awhile. He lay there, sprawled on his side in the black soot, the smell of smoke overwhelming his senses, as though the fire was still burning.

"After all I've been through..." He muttered to himself, "I defeated the bastard! I saved everyone...is this really what I deserve?" He sat up and coughed a little, taking a sharp breath of clean air.

Zelda had tried to tell him, to warn him, but Link hadn't listened. If only he had, then he would've known. When you destroy a possessor of a piece of the triforce, the remnant of power from them hurts something, something that was dearly loved by his slayer. In other words; his home.

So Link blamed himself. He should have thought of another way, ANY other way, to stop Ganondorf's rise to power. Now the forest of his people was devastated and they were either dead or...no, he had to face the reality; they were most likely dead.

All of a sudden fury ignited inside him. 'This can't be my fault!' he thought, helplessly, 'All those lives...' He searched frantically for something else for which to place the blame. Instantly, his fingers reached to the triforce pendant. It was attached to a small golden earring that hung on the lobe of his right ear. Encased in this, was the magic of the triforce itself. Power, Courage, and Wisdom. Zelda had told him to keep it safe...

He decided that none of this would have happened if it weren't for the triforce. If it hadn't been created in the first place then he'd never have left the forest. So who cared if it was safe or not? As long as it was out of the hands of evil it couldn't possibly matter. He didn't want to guard it for the rest of his life. Without a second thought, he snapped the pendant off of the ring, flipped it high into the air, and pulling his bow and an arrow from his back, aimed and fired. The arrow, with expert precision, pierced it in mid air, and connected, both objects fell onto the ground, far from where Link still sat. He could see the cracks forming on the triforce's surface as he stood up and took a few tentative steps towards it. He was numb to any pain now, and he watched in awe as shafts of light were emitted from the openings. Then it shattered, and without so much as a sound.

Link came over and picked the extraordinary weapon up from its resting place, overturning it in his hands curiously. He certainly hadn't expected that to happen. Sure, he'd wanted to destroy it, but he'd never thought it possible, especially using a mere arrow. He'd never kept a used arrow before, but he couldn't help placing it back with the others. He glanced around, every so often his gaze resting on another body in the rubble, trying for a moment to distinguish who they were, but it was useless. Then he heard a sound from somewhere ahead, and by habit his hand flew immediately to the hilt of his sword.

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A/N: All right, first chapter up! Saria will be in the next one! And the story isn't as depressing as you might think. So please keep reading, I'll update soon, school is almost out...Any comments? Questions? Suggestions? R/R! 


	2. Not for Long

A/N: I was going to update last weekend, but I wanted to make some plotchanges… Anyway,I hope you like this chapter. R/R!

It seemed to be silent again. Link perked up and listened closely, and the noise came again. He walked in its direction, and soon the sounds took the form of sobbing. He stopped walking when he saw her. She was sitting on a tree stump, face buried in her hands, and as he watched, her muffled crying faded. It was clear why he hadn't noticed her before. She was coated in soot, looking much like a chimney sweep, and could have easily blended in with the ground.

The only thing Link had moved was his gaze. When he looked back up at her, he found two startling green eyes staring back at him, through the darkness that surrounded them. Link knew that this girl was harmless, but still he didn't loosen his grip on his sword.

"Link?" she spoke timidly. She stood and stumbled towards him.

"…Why, Link?" Her voice trembled. Then an insane glintshone in her eye. "Why!" She repeated, desperately, "Why was I spared?" she was tearing up again, but seemed to be trying not to cry. Link took a step back.

"Who are you?" He said, confused. She came closer.

"Who am I? _Who am I?" _She gave a sort of mad laugh, and then flung herself on him, crying again. Link wavered, almost losing his balance, and tried to find a way out of this awkward situation. I an attempt to calm her,he smoothedhis hand over her head, wiping off some soot and revealing green hair. He froze.

"Saria?" There was no answer. She had passed out on his shoulder. Under her weight he feltthe pain returning. He knew he needed to get some potions, but he wouldn't make it into town on foot. He hoisted Saria over his shoulder and began walking out of the forest, to Lon Lon Ranch. He was going to get Epona.

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When Link finally arrived at the ranch he spotted Malon sitting on the fence outside the stables. As he approached, still carrying an unconscious Saria, Malon turned her head and saw them. She jumped off the fence and smiled excitedly as she ran to meet them.

"Link!" she hugged him and he winced, "How are you?" She took a step back and suddenly realized how terrible he looked.

"Oh my goodness, what happened to you?" She helped him lift Saria off of him and instead of waiting for an answer, led him inside her living quarters. There she laid Saria onher bed and told Link to sit in the chair.

"Let me clean up those wounds..." She said, getting out bandages and other such things. They didn't have potions like the ones you could buy in the town marketplace, but that didn't stop Malon. She refused to let him go until he was rested. So Link sat there, watching helplessly as she cleaned and bandaged his wounds. He didn't tell her what had happened to him, simply because he didn't feel up to talking, and thankfully, she didn't ask him anymore questions.

"All right,"she said when she was done,"I think Saria's waking up, I'm going to get her to take a bath to wash that soot off. If you'd like you may go and see Epona." He liked the idea and stood up immediately.

"Thanks," he said shortly. She smiled kindly and watched him walk out of the room.

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Link stood with Epona in the field and groomed her coat witha brush. This calmed him effectively, but after a while he wanted to ride the horse around the ranch for a bit. He brought his hand up to Epona's saddle, but instead of climbing up he just stared. The mark of the triforce had left his hand. He blinked a few times, and then remembered what he had done to the triforce. It was gone. A smile played across his lips. He mounted Epona and tugged on the reins, sending her into a joyful gallop across the field.It was hard for him toexplain how he felt, but at that moment, for the first time in years, he was...free...

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A/N: Alright, as of now, I am not sure what the ultimate pairing will be, but that doesn't matter, does it?If you like the plot and the writing please do keep reading, and whatever the pairing is, try to be open minded.I read stories with pairings that I hate all the time, and usually I find them to be a lot more interesting then pairings I "believe in".Review please! I'll update soon!


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